CXMT accused of using stolen Samsung DRAM technology

A former Samsung Electronics engineer testified in a Seoul court that ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) relied on stolen intellectual property rather than independent research to develop its DRAM technology. The engineer, who received approximately $2 million in compensation and equity, stated that CXMT executives intended to use Samsung’s ‘Process Recipe Plan’ to build their manufacturing capabilities from the company’s inception in 2016.

The stolen data reportedly included 600 manufacturing steps and critical equipment conditions for Samsung’s 18nm-class DRAM process. South Korean prosecutors have sentenced the engineer to seven years in prison for violating the Industrial Technology Protection Act. This testimony may provide evidence for Samsung to pursue infringement claims against CXMT through the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Separately, industry analysis from TechInsights indicates that CXMT is making technical strides by implementing High-k metal gate (HKMG) technology into its G4 process and LPDDR5X products. While still trailing industry leaders Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron by approximately two generations in High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) technology, CXMT is currently conducting risk production of HBM2E and sampling HBM3 products.